Marion Bradley, left, swears in Calvin Coffman as the new NCA Vendor Director and Terry Sinopoli as the new President of the NCA at the NCA 100th Birthday Bash in Indianapolis, August 5, 2023.
Editor’s Note: Terry Sinopoli became president of the NCA at the Business Meeting during the 100th Birthday Bash in Indianapolis in early August. She has been a board member since 2021, and you can read a profile of her by clicking here.
Ed Avis: Why did you decide to run for president?
Terry Sinopoli: I know that we need someone who can continue the efforts that we've been making toward the future. It's sad to see the direction that some costume shops in our industry and even vendors in our industry have gone through, whether it's closing due to COVID or due to families not wanting to take over the business when someone has retired. I just want to be able to help costume shops and vendors in our industry to be able to continue on and not feel that they don't have anywhere to turn.
Avis: How do you think the NCA could do that?
Sinopoli: I think one way is passing on knowledge from those who have been successful, and that's kind of what we're here for. We're here to share that information with everyone in our industry. We do that through several sources: The Costumer magazine, our bi-weekly newsletters, plus all of the special events that we do throughout the year, whether it be webinars or events like our 100th birthday.
Avis: While you are president, do you envision starting any new projects or changing anything that's going on now?
Sinopoli: We've already started some new projects. One being the Vendors' Council, which is going to be meeting on November 9. And I think that that's a great way to bring the Vendor members of our organization more into our organization. We want them to see that they are truly a part of this organization. And we've started other programs, educational pieces, bringing in new technologies and things like that to share with our members.
Avis: And how do you feel about the costume industry in general?
Sinopoli: I think other people feel that it could be dying. And I fear that. But at the same time, I feel like our industry can really take new steps to thrive, just like new technologies have helped us to develop new masks and new costumes over the years. I think we can do many more things like that with our industry.